Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

It was just daybreak and the snow in the yard had not yet melted when Mrs. Wang entered the yard with her maid Yuchuan.

When the soft green embroidered curtain was opened, the fragrant warm air in the room rushed towards me, instantly diluting the coldness outside.

In the middle of the room stood a bronze incense burner with auspicious clouds and flying phoenixes in the pattern of fortune, wealth, longevity, and prosperity. The zither, sword, bottle, and stove were all inlaid on the wall. They were covered with brocade and gauze, and shimmered with gold and pearls. The bed curtains were exquisite, and the bricks on the floor were all emerald green carved.

Xiren, Sheyue and other beautiful and graceful maids were running around, working diligently and attentively.

Baoyu is the phoenix of the Rongguo Mansion. He has been spoiled by his grandmother Jia since he was a child. Naturally, his room is extremely luxurious, like a fairy palace.

However, the furnishings in the room were too rich, elegant, and gorgeous, making it look more like a young lady's boudoir, without any of the air of a scholar.

When Mrs. Wang entered the room, she saw Baoyu had combed his hair and dressed, and was walking around the room.

Ever since that day when the clan government issued a written reprimand, Baoyu had been severely beaten by Jia Zheng's family. The injuries were quite severe, and he had to stay in bed for nearly two months before he could barely walk.

When Mrs. Wang saw that he could walk without any difficulty, a look of joy appeared on her face.

Baoyu stayed in bed for two months to recuperate. Due to lack of exercise and the daily consumption of delicacies and nourishing medicinal foods, his complexion became fairer than before, and his big face became even rounder and more pleasing to the eye.

Seeing his appearance, Mrs. Wang felt even more pity for him and said with a smile, "Finally, he has grown strong and is now able to walk freely. It's also the critical time for the New Year."

She went forward and straightened Baoyu's collar, saying, "Baoyu, at least you should save your dignity for me and don't make the master angry in the future.

You will be the one to take on the family business in the future, so you can’t be willful and lazy like before. Listen more to the master’s teachings, and the dignity and glory of Rongguo Mansion will naturally be yours in the future.”

After hearing what Lady Wang said, Xiren joined in the fun and said, "Madam, I heard someone say the other day that the old lady has written to the court to accept the title for the second master, and it seems that Madam will be very happy soon."

Mrs. Wang was very pleased to hear this. This time her master inherited the title, even if it was a downgrade, it was still the rank of a second-class general.

She can become a noble wife because of her husband, and be promoted from a fifth-rank concubine to a second-rank imperial concubine. This is the greatest honor in a woman's life.

Mrs. Wang thought of Jia Cong's biological mother, that lowly prostitute, and how unlucky it was that she was worthy of a fifth-rank concubine like herself.

Now that the second branch has inherited the title, he can really feel proud and relieve his anger.

Mrs. Wang's heart was full of longing. Now that the old lady's request had been reported to the court, the imperial edict of a great duke must have some weight.

The inheritance of the title is a matter of course. The court had delayed it before, but now that the old lady has submitted a petition requesting the title, it must be a natural thing to do.

Although Mrs. Wang was filled with joy, she still had to maintain her dignity and not show it too much in front of others.

She said to Xiren with a reserved look: "What kind of happy event is this? There are only two brothers in the family. Something happened to the eldest master's family. We can't abandon our ancestors' family business.

The master cannot escape this either and has to shoulder this burden. No matter if he is the master, Baoyu will have to follow in his father's footsteps and endure this hard work in the future.

Mrs. Wang smiled and took Xiren's hand, saying, "You are a sensible and careful child. I only trust you. I feel relieved to leave Baoyu to you to serve and guide.

As long as you protect and take good care of Baoyu, you are also protecting us mother and daughter, and I will definitely remember your kindness."

Xiren was delighted to hear this. Now that her master had inherited the title of Rong, Master Bao would also be able to inherit the title in the future. With the help of the mistress, she could also become a lord's concubine in the future. Wouldn't that be honorable?

Xiren showed a reserved and restrained smile similar to that of Lady Wang, and said, "Madam, you are too kind. As a servant, I have to serve you wholeheartedly, which is my duty.

Madam, please rest assured. I will do my best for Master Bao and will not let you worry too much."

……

Mrs. Wang said a few more words before leaving Baoyu's courtyard with Yuchuan.

Baoyu then sighed. What he had just heard from Mrs. Wang about inheriting the title and being the head of the family, and the son following in the father's footsteps, was really boring for him.

He really couldn't understand why it was not good to live a good life. The people around him always talked about these vulgar things about titles and salaries with great relish, which really tarnished his innocent heart.

When Xiren saw Baoyu mumbling something to himself, with a look of sorrow and resentment on his round white face, she knew that his old illness had come back, but she didn't take it too seriously.

I saw him rummaging around on the museum shelf for a while, picked up a small flat round porcelain box, and was about to leave in a hurry.

Xiren asked, "It's almost noon, why are you going out now?"

Baoyu said, "I heard that Sister Feng started to have morning sickness. I have been staying at home for two months. I should go and see her. Now that Second Brother Lian has joined the army, the family shouldn't neglect her too much."

Xiren was also happy to hear this and said, "Now that the Second Master has grown up, he has become more thoughtful and knows how to take care of his family."

She asked again, "You went to see the Second Madam, why did you bring a box of rouge? She has a lot of valuable things, so she doesn't need these."

Baoyu laughed and said, "The last time I saw Sister Ping'er, she was asking her maid to go out and buy her rouge. Those filthy people out there were just looking for something to use, which wasted a lot of money on a person like Sister Ping'er.

Last time I bought you some steamed rose cream, and I just happened to have an extra box. I've been keeping it in mind, so I'll give it to Sister Ping'er. Wouldn't that make her happy?"

When Xiren heard this, she frowned slightly. She had been with Baoyu for many years and knew his personality and preferences best.

I thought he had settled his mind now and was even thinking about visiting the Second Wife who was in trouble. I didn't expect it was just a cover and his mind was on the pretty Ping'er.

I lay in bed for two months. I still remember Baba delivering rouge to people, but I didn't expect that times had changed so much outside.

Xiren knew what had been bothering Baoyu in the past two years. Back then, the old lady wanted to give Qingwen to him, but something unexpected happened and Qingwen ended up following the Third Master.

From that time on, it was like a demon, and all the prettiest daughters in the mansion seemed to go to the East Palace.

Master Bao was a man who loved beauty and was always putting his efforts into pretty maids. He felt very anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

Besides, the threshold of the East Palace is high, the rules are strict, and outsiders are not allowed to enter..., so the Second Master can only be the king in the West Palace.

There are not many outstanding maids in the West Mansion. The Second Master is not easy to mess with Yuanyang, who is with the old lady, and he dare not be unruly with Zijuan, who is with Miss Lin.

It turned out that he had provoked Jin Chuan, who was beside the lady, and later almost caused a death. Now when Jin Chuan saw the Second Master, she acted as if she had seen a ghost.

Ping'er, who is beside the Second Lady, is also a top-notch figure among the maids in the Jia family. She is not only pretty, but also capable, and usually attracts a lot of attention.

Now that Master Lian has been exiled, Master Bao feels relieved and suddenly thinks of giving him rouge...

……

At this time, Musk Moon came in with a teacup. After hearing what Baoyu said, she smiled and said, "It would be better to save the rouge that Second Master collected for us.

Things are different now, Ping'er is now married, I advise you to stop messing with her."

When Baoyu heard this, his round face turned pale and he asked, "How come Sister Ping'er is already taken? Please explain it clearly."

Seeing Baoyu's expression, Xiren said, "Second Master has been recuperating in the room for two months and doesn't know what's going on outside. Second Master Lian has committed a serious crime and was originally sentenced to death.

It was Third Master Cong who wrote to the Emperor to plead for mercy, and only then was Second Master Lian's sentence changed to exile. Second Mistress accepted Third Master Cong's kindness and gave Miss Ping'er to Third Master. When Third Master reaches the age next year, she will marry him."

Baoyu turned pale when he heard this, and said in great sorrow, "I thought Jia Cong was a man of letters and poetry, but he actually did something so vulgar and filthy.

With a little favor, they tricked Sister Ping'er away. They treated such an innocent girl like an object, buying and giving her away at will. How vulgar and disgusting!

Sister Ping'er is so miserable, how can I live with this?"

Xiren looked surprised, and said with a hint of sourness, "Second Master, what are you talking about? You and Ping'er only talked a few words to each other every day, and now that she has been given to someone else, it has nothing to do with you.

Why can't I get through? Could it be that she is much stronger than those of us who have served her since childhood?"

Musk Moon advised, "Second Master, don't worry. Third Master Cong is capable and it's a good thing for Ping'er to follow him.

Everyone in the mansion says that Sister Ping'er is very willing to do this, and she smiles every day and is very happy. Second Master, please don't worry about it in vain."

Baoyu frowned in disbelief and reprimanded, "You are the only one who talks nonsense. How could a pretty girl like Sister Ping'er be willing to be with a scheming, corrupt official like Jia Cong?"

She must have been forced to give herself away, and no one came out to save her. The daughters in this world are all as gentle as water, but how many of them really know how to show compassion?"

In Baoyu's eyes, he is the person who understands daughters the best in the world. All women in the world are what he wants in his mind. Only if they follow him can they get good results, otherwise they will suffer setbacks and misery.

Xiren advised from the side: "Ping'er has promised Third Master, so why should Second Master care about these trivial matters?

Madam also said that the Second Master is the one who will take over the family business and inherit the title of our ancestors in the future, which is of the utmost importance. "

When Baoyu heard this, he felt indescribably uncomfortable. Now even his gentle and close friend Xiren had been influenced by those people to become vulgar and corrupt. All she talked about was the matters of the lord. It was too disappointing.

He said generously: "What the hell is a title of nobility? I have never wanted it. If I were to wear the title of general, I would be sick to death. I am not a person like Jia Cong who would degenerate and humiliate himself in vain. Whoever wants this title can take it."

……

On the eastern outskirts of Shenjing City, there is a workshop built by the Firearms Bureau.

There were seven or eight people standing in Jia Cong's official residence. It was so crowded that there was almost no room to squeeze in.

His official residence looked very different from those of other officials in the ministry.

There were no writing materials or documents on the table. There were two crude bamboo tubes at the corners, which contained charcoal pencils, triangles, rulers, tape measures, ink fountains and other strange tools.

Various strange drawings were hung on the wall, and various styles of muskets were displayed on the wooden shelf on one side.

These muskets include original Rumidian guns from the Ottoman Empire, improved Rumidian guns manufactured by the Firearms Bureau, and other types of muskets collected from various Western countries.

There were seven or eight people in the government office, including Liu Shizhen, deputy director of the Firearms Department, Guo Huai, the manager, and the others were blacksmiths, carpenters, gunpowder makers in the workshop, as well as several newly hired needleworkers and papermakers.

The desk in Jia Cong's official residence was unusually large. On the table were neatly arranged the disassembled parts of a new musket, with more than 40 parts in total, including the buttstock, barrel, etc.

Liu Shizhen said to Jia Cong: "Sir, we have accelerated the forging of the entire gun according to your drawings. At present, except for the firing pin and paper shell bullets, all other parts have been formed.

The molded parts will go through trial assembly and polishing to continuously improve their strength and precision. In another two months, the molded parts will be finalized.

The most difficult part at the moment is still the firing pin and paper shell bullets. The newly hired craftsmen have figured out the general forging method. Although they have produced some samples, there is still a gap between them and the adults' requirements.

At present, the craftsmen have been working day and night to explore and explore, and the five-month deadline requested by the adults can still be achieved. "

Jia Cong said: "Don't focus all your attention on polishing the parts. Every batch of parts must be assembled and tested to find out the running-in defects.

If a breech-loading gun is to achieve the expected range and power, the assembly of components such as the barrel needs to have extremely high sealing properties, which requires excellent manual precision.

Once the sealing of a breech-loading gun is out of control, not only will the lethality of the gun be greatly reduced, but it will also cause gunpowder gas leakage and burns, or even explosion.

Don’t think that five months is plenty of time. To build a qualified breech-loading rifle, the time is actually very tight.”

Jia Cong looked at the gun components on the table. Several batches of firing pins and paper-wrapped bullets all looked a bit rough.

At least compared with the actual parts of the needle-fired breech-loading rifles he had seen before, the difference was similar.

But he also observed that each new batch of firing pins and paper-wrapped bullets was a visible improvement over the previous batch.

This shows that the needleworkers and paper pulpers he newly hired have gradually become familiar with and figured out the tricks of construction.

Everything in this world is created from nothing. They are the first batch of craftsmen in the Great Zhou Dynasty to build breech-loading rifles. Going from clumsy and careless to meticulous and precise is a process they must go through.

Accumulated stones can form a mountain, accumulated water can form a deep pool.

……

While Jia Cong devoted himself to promoting firearms and military industry, he never stopped exploring and understanding the world.

He understands the vastness of this world better than anyone else.

His Xinchun has spread across six states and one prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River, with its tentacles extending northward to the Jiaozhou Peninsula and the vast Liaodong, and southward through Zhejiang and Fujian to the southern Guangdong.

These places are where exchanges between foreigners and the Great Zhou flourish. Xinchunhao collects the conditions and information of foreigners in various countries through its branches in various places.

Zhen Fangqing, who is now guarding the mourning period for Concubine Zhen at the imperial mausoleum outside Beijing, remotely controls the Zhen family's Jinling fleet. Wherever these ships go, the information tentacles will be more distant and direct than what the Xinchun can reach.

Therefore, Jia Cong can be sure that the breech-loading rifle being developed by the Firearms Bureau will be the first in the world. Once successfully developed, the Great Zhou's firearms skills will undoubtedly be at the forefront of the world.

Jia Cong looked at the neatly arranged musket parts on the table and said, “Your Majesty has high hopes for the construction of breech-loading rifles. From today on, the batches of gun parts will be updated and significantly improved.

All of them must be written into detailed summaries, and after being reviewed by me and Deputy Supervisor Liu, they will be immediately reported to the palace for His Majesty to review.”

Jia Cong suddenly glanced at Qian Huai in the crowd and said, "Manager Qian will be responsible for writing the excerpt. If I am not at the workshop, you will deliver it to my house in person. The content of the excerpt must be kept confidential."

Qian Huai's eyes met Jia Cong's and he felt that the other's eyes were sharp, which made his heart jump. He said, "I obey your command."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Four days had passed since Lady Jia's petition for a title was submitted to the Ministry of Public Administration, but still no news had come out of the palace.

Jia Zheng asked a colleague who was familiar with the connections in the Tongzhengsi, and found out that because Jia's mother was not a court official, but only a person of super-rank imperial edict, the memorials she submitted would take three days to go through the Tongzhengsi and other inner courts.

According to the time calculation, the earliest he could have entered the palace was yesterday. The current emperor is very busy with state affairs and reviews a large number of memorials every day. It is normal that no news has been heard for a while.

After hearing the news, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang were relieved and just waited for the palace to reply on the matter of inheriting the title. This was a big event for the Rongguo Mansion.

At this time in the capital, everyone knew that the eldest son of the Rong Kingdom had been convicted.

But more people know that this eldest son was originally sentenced to death, but because of a letter of plea from Weiyuan Earl Jia Cong, the emperor pardoned him and sentenced him lightly to exile in Liaodong.

Compared with several other noble families who were also involved in crimes and had to endure the tragic experiences of being stripped of their titles, being convicted of serious crimes, and being demoted four ranks, the emperor was very generous to the Jia family of Rong.

Everyone knew that the reason was that the Jia family of Rong State had a man named Jia Cong, the Marquis of Weiyuan, who was very popular with the emperor.

With the Earl of Weiyuan, the Jia family's reputation will grow and their future will be bright. This can be easily imagined. One just needs to look at the age of this young Earl.

Meanwhile, the news that Grandmother Jia had written to the imperial court, requesting that her second son Jia Zheng inherit the title of Rong state, gradually spread among the nobles in the capital.

The Jia family has Jia Cong, the Marquis of Weiyuan, who is deeply favored by the emperor and serves as a solid backing for the family. The inheritance of the hereditary title of Rongguo is just a common occurrence and is just around the corner.

Countless noble families in the capital city were envious. Although the Rongguo Jia family had experienced the death of Jia She and the conviction of Jia Lian, they could not escape the honor of having two titles in one family.

Many noble families in the capital began to find various reasons to visit and congratulate the Duke of Rong on his longevity. The Rongqing Hall began to regain its former glory.

Old friends and relatives of the Jia family were not willing to be left behind. They came to Jia Zheng's house to present invitations to pay him a visit or to invite him to attend literary gatherings. People came and went like a stream of carp swimming in the river, and Jia Zheng was flattered.

The actions of these people all have ulterior motives, because Jia Zheng is not only the new inheritor of the title of Rong State.

Moreover, almost everyone in the capital knew that although Jia Zheng and the Earl of Weiyuan were uncle and nephew, they were as close as father and son, and Jia Zheng was highly respected by the Earl of Weiyuan.

This kind of pre-emptive warming of the stove, building relationships, and accumulating favors are the most familiar methods used by the nobles and officials.

Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang felt the vitality of the prosperous family and felt happy and comfortable.

Originally, the Rongguo Mansion was hit hard by the death of Jia She and the conviction of Jia Lian. But now, with the passage of time, Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang have clearly foreseen that the revival of the Rongguo Mansion's reputation is just around the corner.

When Mrs. Wang thought about her suggestion to Lady Jia to petition the court for a title, it was such a brilliant idea. It was like giving the Rongguo Mansion a magic potion. Within a few days, the house was crowded with people, even more than before.

Now she was just counting the days, waiting for the imperial edict to be issued for Jia Zheng to inherit the title, so that the second house would be honored and her own fifth-rank concubine could be promoted to a second-rank concubine.

Grandmother Jia had never expected that a memorial from her own would have such a great power on her family. Even she herself had not expected that her status as a super-ranking official would be so useful.

If I had known that I could do the job, why would I have to ask that cold-tempered and stubborn grandson of Dongfu for help again and again?

……

This event caused such a stir that almost all of the Jia family's old relatives and friends showed up, and naturally, Jia's mother's family also came to visit.

The reason for the two families' visit was naturally the pretty and romantic Shi Xiangyun. It was said that she was clamoring to stay in the Jia Mansion for a while and play. Marquis Zhongjing Li and Marquis Baoling Chen, their two sisters-in-law, accompanied her.

But Grandmother Jia felt that the words and actions of her two nieces-in-law seemed a little different this time.

He did not say auspicious words like other elder relatives, such as "one family has two titles, generations of nobles, and twin sons inheriting the title". He just talked about ordinary family matters, and his words and actions seemed to be very restrained and low-key.

Although Grandmother Jia felt it was a little strange, she didn't take it too seriously. She just thought it was because her mother's family was too familiar with her, so she didn't say these polite words to outsiders.

When Shi Xiangyun was about to go to the East Palace to play with her sisters, Baolinghou Chen casually said that she heard that the East Palace had just been promoted to a first-class institution, but she didn't know what it looked like and had never seen it.

After hearing this, Yingchun invited the two elders from the Shi family to visit the garden in the East Palace. It is said that the two marquises were in high spirits that day and got along well with the sisters in the East Palace.

A lot of gifts were also given to the boudoirs, and even the trusted maids and girls in Jia Cong's room received one each, as if the two marquises had been prepared for it.

Jia Mu and Wang Furen were both surprised when they heard this, wondering what was wrong with the two wives of the Shi family. (End of this chapter)